CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS BEAR M13 KILLED IN SWITZERLAND It’s Bear Season in the United States: Pennsylvania and Indiana

For some reason the consideration of bears in our community went right over my head this month, April 2013. I put out bird food and concentrated on keeping our new cat, Little Dog, away from the birds which entertained her through our porch window.

My neglect was punished. When I woke up yesterday morning I noticed the bird feeder laying on the ground, empty, and the stand bent over. BEAR. Yes, the first bear of the year.

My husband Monte checked to see if there were any pawprints in the mud, but he didn’t detect any. But I know to bring the bird feeder in each night if I plan on feeding the birds.

Friendly gestures to wild animals can reduce the creature’s natural fear of humans, thereby contributing to their demise.

Although friendly gestures may not have been made to M13, the only known brown bear living in the Switzerland wilds, easy food access in inhabited areas reduced his fear of the human species to the point that he was following people during the day. He also sought food in inhabited areas, including a schoolyard.

These behaviors caused him to be classified as a problem bear last November. Although M13 never showed aggression to humans there was a risk that he might because of these behaviors, which continued when he emerged from hibernation.

Mike, M13’s moniker online and to his local admirers, was killed by gamekeepers in the town of Poschiavo, an Alpine valley town near the Italian border. He met his demise on February 19, 2013.

Joanna Schoenenberger, a WWE expert on bears, noted that wildlife officers should have tried harder to make Mike more frightened of humans.

Switzerland isn’t the only country with bear problems. The United States also has bear problems.

Black bears in my home state of Pennsylvania are not an oddity. Our community in the foothills of Laurel Mountain is visited regularly by black bears. When we lived in Connellsville, a city an hour southwest of our current home, a bear ran through a neighbor’s yard and a circus atmosphere was created as the fire department attempted to de-tree the bear.

Black bears might have a much lesser presence in Pittsburgh suburbia.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission began a study to determine if the bears roaming the streets of these suburbs—including Monroeville, Greensburg, Natrona Heights, Uniontown—are transients or full-time residents. These lanky bears are typically yearlings looking for new territory.**

These bears sometimes cause incidents.

On August 22, 2012 a bear caused an accident on Rt. 22 near Horsemans Road in Derry Township, Pennsylvania—a stone’s throw away from where I live. Fortunately neither the driver nor her two child passengers were hurt.*

Bear season is just about upon us in my community. It is suspected they spend the winter hibernating in the crawl space in an unoccupied house or in holes created by fallen trees.

Here’s a story from a Daviess, Indiana, genealogical report: Rare sport was occasionally had in hunting Bruin.’ Friend Spears…had an adventure with a bear. He went to “Paddy’s Garden” one day to hunt; stepped up on the body of a large tree that had been blown down. The roots of the tree, large and, standing upright, made a fine hiding and sleeping place for the bear in the daytime. A bear raised himself up on his hind feet, just high enough for Mr. Spears to see his head, at which he took deliberate aim and laid Mr. Bruin low.

The report also noted that At one time a big black bear passed by William Ballow’s house. Mr. Ballow had two sons, and a slave named “Buck” The dogs attacked and treed the bear. The boys and Buck cut down the tree, which fell with the bear into a ravine. Buck was anxiously hissing on the dogs, when he slipped and fell headlong into the crowd. While the dogs kept the bear busy, Buck safely scrambled out. Mr. Ballow then shot the bear in the head. George Ballow, one of the boys, thought the world of Buck, and said when he saw him come out safe, lie did not care what became of the bear.***